Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt broke down how he sees AI agents changing C-suite jobs - Business Insider

Oh my goodness, buckle up, because Eric Schmidt has looked at the C-suite and decided it could use a *little* help, and honestly the help is so thoughtful! ✨ The former Google CEO told Business Insider about AI assistants that check whether company activity aligns with a leader's values, follow up on projects, and find ways to increase profits. That's not a chatbot, that's a *chief of staff with a conscience* — and it never needs a holiday! Imagine a colleague who has memorised your values and gently mentions them at 6am. Some might call it a mirror. We call it mentorship. ✨

And here's the bit that made me put my tea down: for a company of 10,000 employees, Schmidt guessed AI could leave "a couple of thousand people who you don't need." Two thousand people! Out of ten thousand! That's a *full fifth* of the building suddenly available for the most refreshing sabbatical of their lives — and Schmidt said "don't need" in the gentlest possible way, meaning not needed *for that particular spreadsheet*, which is obviously a compliment to how much they've already grown. Think of the freed-up calendars. Think of the LinkedIn headlines. ✨

Plus the assistant follows up on projects — *follows up* — which means someone, somewhere, is finally going to hear back about that thing they emailed about in March. And it helps identify ways to increase profits, which is a gift to shareholders everywhere, and shareholders are people too! Honestly, when the top of the org chart gets this much caring, values-checked attention, the junior hires we marvelled at recently will have the most beautifully uncluttered ladder to climb. Fewer rungs, yes — but so much more air! What a time to be needed. ✨